January 31-March 3, 2023 

Education and History 

One evening, I was in my room and looking at a tourist map I had received from the tourist center.  The map, as the tourist center itself, had available the information needed for the exploring of Valencia.  As I was looking at one of my maps, I saw the letters FSU.  My thoughts jumped to ‘Florida State University’.  My curiosity aroused, I searched ‘Florida State University, Valencia, Spain’.  I found that indeed, there is a Florida State University Study Center in Valencia!  My search also provided a contact email.  I was probably within a thirty to forty minute walk from my room to the Study Center.  I sent an email of inquiry as to the possibility of a visit to the Study Center would be possible.  And, shortly thereafter, my email was well received.  Although I had not received a specific appointment, I felt that it would be a nice walk and even if my timing was off for a visit, I could schedule a time as I was to be in Valencia for a week longer. 

The Study Center is located at C/Blanquerias, 2, Valencia.  It was a pleasant walk to the Study Center.  There is a joy of seeing new people and places while walking.  Using my map, I located where the Study Center should have been located.  But, I saw no indications of a building of higher education; nothing stood out.  Knowing that I had to be in the right area, I looked more closely at the otherwise nondescript buildings.  And there, on a wall by the entrance to a building was perhaps a six inch by six inch metal plaque which simply said, ‘FSU’. 

I entered the building and was immediately met by a kind receptionist.  I immediately apologized for my dropping by without an appointment.  I explained that it was a pleasant day for a walk and it was my hope to find the Study Center and perhaps schedule a time for a future visit.  Within a few moments, I was introduced to Alicia Martinez, the Assistant Director of the Study Center.  After introducing myself and once again apologizing for this impromptu visit, Ms. Martinez most kindly offered to take me on a tour of the Study Center. 

I was embarrassed by her kindness as I had just dropped in and no doubt interrupted her schedule.  However, with pride, she assured me that it would be her pleasure to share with me a tour of the Study Center.  The original site sought for the Center was in Madrid.  However, that plan fell through and on a whim the group had travelled to Valencia and determined that Valencia was the right place for the Center.   The Center had its first classes in 2000.  The process in renovating such a treasured site was as rewarding as it was challenging.  To imagine, and I have seen within the Center, part of the original Roman city wall as well as a portion of a thousand-year-old Arabic wall.  The facility was intimate in that the areas if office space, apartments and classrooms were extremely well organized in the space available.  During the tour, I also had the great pleasure to meet Mr. Ignacio Messana, Program Dean and Director of the Study Center who had taken time between teaching classes to meet me and welcome me to the Study Center.  

The Study Center is located in the heart of the Old Town, within walking distance from many important monuments (one of which we will see in the next post).  Each student gets a shared room with all the comforts of a hotel.  Surrounded by the large riverbed part, ten minutes away from the beach and half an hour away from one of the main airports in Spain.  There are nine apartments each including four or five fully furnished bedrooms with double or triple occupancy.  Each apartment has a living room and fully equipped kitchen, cable flat screen TV, telephone, washing machine, wireless internet access, etc.   

The Study Center minor is focused on the Culture of Spain from ancient times to the present.  The minor is built around the student’s program of studies at the Florida State University Valencia Study Center allowing the student to study Iberian culture from the perspective of various disciplines and to pursue the minor before, during and after the student’s studies program of studies in Spain.  The sojourn in Valencia is the essential element in the minor, providing direct involvement in contemporary Spanish civilization as well as an exposure to Spain’s historical cultural artifacts.  The curriculum offered by the Study Center is quite extensive and provides education opportunities for both fulltime students and those available for part-time studies.  

For me to have discovered the FSU Study Center was my great fortune.  And, also to note that Florida State University, International Program has Study Centers in London, England, Florence, Italy and Panama City, Republic of Panama. 

Part Four.  Continuing on with our tour of the Old Town, we will explore the Torres de Serranos also referred to as The Serrans Gate or Serranos Gate. 

I will also include in Part Four a description of a festival known as Valencia Fallas.